“There’s one in the mudroom. I got it.” He was already moving to the small storage space near the front door. I followed behind, grabbing my jacket as I slipped my sock-covered feet into snow boots. Boden did the same and headed outside.
I followed behind, lifting Gizmo into my arms. The wind blew a harsh gust into us, and Boden let out a stream of curses.
“They don’t get weather like this much in LA, do they?”
He quickly carved out a small area for Gizmo. “They definitely don’t.”
I set my little monster down, and he hurried to do his business. Gizmo knew that snow meant you moved quickly. Peaches followed behind, doing the same.
“I don’t think Peaches has ever moved that fast before. She’s usually sniffing everything under the sun.”
“She’s not dumb, and it’s freaking freezing out here.” I hurried to pick Gizmo up, and we headed back towards the cabin.
Boden left the snow shovel leaning against the house, knowing we’d need it again. As soon as we were inside, we ditched the snow gear, and Boden moved towards the fireplace. “At least we’ve got plenty of firewood.”
There were rows of the stuff stacked on the back porch that could keep us warm for weeks. As soon as the fire was going, Boden pushed to his feet again. “So, what do you do in the middle of a blizzard?”
I grinned. “We need hot chocolate and board games.”
Boden threw down his cards.“You’re a dirty cheater. I don’t know how you do it, but you do. Is this a rigged deck?”
I couldn’t hold in my laughter. “You found the deck. How could I have rigged it?”
He eyed me suspiciously. “Maybe you planted it here.”
“I didn’t even know whereherewas. You sprung this trip on me, remember?”
Boden growled something under his breath.
“You really are a sore loser. You know that, right?”
He glared at me. “You would be, too, if you lost all but two hands of gin rummy all day long.”
Something about how utterly flabbergasted he was at that truth had me laughing even harder. “I guess gin rummy isn’t your game.”
“I guess not,” he muttered.
I looked around the room. We’d spent all day in front of the fire, eating, playing cards, and talking. It felt so normal. A break I hadn’t realized how badly I needed. “How about something a little different?”
“Strip poker?” Boden asked hopefully.
I snorted. “Not exactly. Let me take your portrait.”
He stiffened, and I wanted to swallow those words back instantly. “Never mind. That was a dumb idea—”
“No. I just—I haven’t had a ton of good experiences with picture taking.”
“I get that.” I could only imagine how oppressive it would be to feel as though you couldn’t leave your house without being hounded by photographers. It didn’t matter that what I was doing wasn’t the same, it was still a camera in your face.
“Let’s do it.”
“Boden—”
“No, I want to see how it is you do what you do.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to read beneath his words. I could only see truth there, even if itwasa little hesitant. “If you want to stop at any point, just say the word.”
Boden nodded.